Community Forums

Pete27 · 10-20-2010, 10:04 PM

I am new to diesel engines as I will be taking possession of one within the next few weeks. I have read/heard that Caterpillar has stopped putting them in RVS. If so does anyone know why? I don't want to ppurchase something I will have trouble getting worked.

Smitty77 · 10-20-2010, 10:18 PM

It costs lots of money, to certify engines for all 50 state smog rules. They keep changing the rules, and frankly sometimes the rule changers do not understand what they are doing (IMO). CAT said enough, when they made three big changes in less then 6-7 years. They will focus on Off Road (biq equipment).

I would not be worried about parts or service, as they will back what they sold. Some CAT engines are better then others, just like some Cummins models are better then other Cummins models... Do you research. If the coach is good on all of the other items. Cat vs Cummins vs Mercedes would be low on the list of deal breakers.

Good luck,
Smitty

Beauregard · 10-20-2010, 10:36 PM

Pete, what year and which model Cat engine. From 1991-1994 I worked as a grunt in a diesel repair shop. The mechanics refered to the 3208 as the "32 Oh nothing". Our volunteer FD has one in a heavy 3000 gallon tanker and it has been trouble free with the limited use it gets. Cat makes a good engine. So does Cummins.

JoeT · 10-21-2010, 08:35 AM

Yes, CAT no longer makes 'on road engines' because of emission requirements, but they still support them and many CAT Service Centers have RV service as well. I'm on my second CAT and currently have 50,000 trouble free miles on this one.

movin-on · 10-21-2010, 10:53 AM

A couple of things here..CAT got out of the On-Highway engine business in 2007 after Freightliner and Peterbuilt/Kenworth dropped Cat as an option because of the increased cost of engines due to the 2007 EPA regulations not because they didn't meet the regs.... CAT took a different approach to it than did other engine makers who did it cheaper..Time will tell on that..Most if not all of their engines that were used on highway are used off highway so I wouldn't worry about parts..

Wanabee FTer · 10-21-2010, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smitty77

CAT said enough, when they made three big changes in less then 6-7 years. They will focus on Off Road (biq equipment).

Good luck,
Smitty

Unfortunately Cat also said enough to assembling heavy equipment in the U.S.
then shipping it to China, so now they are building an assembly plant there.

RustyJC · 10-21-2010, 09:09 PM

Cat's markets are worldwide, not just in the United States. They're also building a new assembly plant in Victoria, Texas.

Rusty

Wanabee FTer · 10-21-2010, 10:38 PM

Sorry if I am getting off topic here but I can't stop myself.
If politics as usual don't change in the U.S. we will all be looking for jobs.
The following is a quote from an article from forbes.com

Quote:

Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman had a message for the Fed and the Obama Administration. "To drive economic growth, we encourage government policy makers to advance pro-business initiatives and a growth agenda. In addition, they should avoid policy decisions that may create trade tensions between the United States and other key trading partners and avoid tax policy that puts U.S. multinationals, like Caterpillar, at a competitive disadvantage compared with non-U.S. competitors.”

In other words, it doesn't make good economical sense for Cat to keep producing products in the U.S. unless policy changes quickly.

Chuck 1935 · 10-26-2010, 02:19 PM

330 Cat 3126E. 69,000 miles and not one problem. 8 plus MPG at 65-70 MPH in a 34 ft towing a CR-V. I think I have never had a problem is because we use it on the highway so it gets worked. The biggest problems for diesels is to sit around and never get good runs on them.

pawpawboyce · 10-26-2010, 07:03 PM

i've got a cat 350hp and it is awesome. i pull a jeep unlimited approx. 4,000lbs. i can't tell the difference pulling or not. powerful and fast.

boyce and lisa
06 meridian 39k
06 jeep unltd tow

ddz1952 · 10-26-2010, 07:41 PM

Doesn't it seem fitting that the Federal Gov't saw fit to raise the emission requirements for the on road market, but allowed CAT to still produce engines for their own on road military use. One example, http://www.oshkoshdefense.com/pdf/Os...hure_09-09.pdf

Wanabee FTer · 10-26-2010, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddz1952

http://www.oshkoshdefense.com/pdf/Os...hure_09-09.pdf

That would be an awesome MH. Go anywhere, any country, on or off road, and armor shielded.
If that was my RV, I wouldn't be afraid to go to Mexico anymore.

Mike Canter · 10-27-2010, 10:40 AM

My neighbor works for Navistar and he told me that CAT is teaming with Navistar to build a new diesel that can be used in a RV as in a truck. What he heard is CAT is building the bottom end and Navistar is building the top end.

Also a friend of mine who works at Cummins R&D said they are now testing a new motor that meets the emission standards without an EGR system that gets better MPG.

buck62 · 10-27-2010, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wanabee FTer

Unfortunately Cat also said enough to assembling heavy equipment in the U.S.
then shipping it to China, so now they are building an assembly plant there.

Nothing new, Cummins has several manufacturing and assembly plants in China and India as well as locations through out the world. Got to remember that we are in a global market and must now compete with the world to be competitive.